Category: Nashville
What do you get with a beautiful Nashville day, no school, great friends, and a great idea??? A trip to the Nashville Zoo on Dead Day!! Dead Day, for those who don't know, is supposed to be a "study day" before exams start. However, most of my exams were before Dead Day, so I got to just hang out with friends!
The summer of 2007. Let me take you there. I was 21 years old, unemployed and living at home with my parents, had already been to two colleges, not taking classes at the moment, extremely unsure about my future, and then I did what any normal 21 year old would do, I got a dog. 
Lately – Nashville is really transforming into a place that resembles home. I am so unbelievably happy for the friends that the Lord has placed in my life. Annie Leibowitz once stated, “You can simply change yourself by picking up and moving.” One-year-and-a-half-ago, I did just that. I packed as much as I could into my dad’s shiny-blue pick-up truc, leaving only memories spent with family and the solid foundation which constitutes who I am today. Now, it is the year of two-thousand-and-eight…and here I am.
The bright lights of the city shined brilliantly as I began to descend into Nashville. And for that matter, so did the smile on my face. For some reason, I am confident that this year is going to be much different from last year. I plan to make every moment count as if it would be my last. Furthermore, I definitely want to put forth 110% in school, and in the meantime, set aside time to explore the creative side of photography and writing.
Last weekend was fall break! It was so wonderful to be able to go back to Franklin and spend time with my family and friends from home. I have to say that fall break did not last nearly long as I would have hoped, but I really enjoyed the memories that were made. The first night back in Franklin, I went to Ellen’s house to watch Pageant Place on MTV. Belmont Alum and Miss USA 2007, Rachel Smith, is one of the main characters. It was a pretty good show. It’s just another reality TV show, but I enjoyed it! The rest of the weekend involved going to events for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee.
Last week was Sorority Rush Week! It kept me insanely busy, but it was so much fun! I loved being able to spend time and create great memories with my sisters in Phi Mu. Since I went through spring recruitment, it was a completely new experience for me. It was incredible being on the other side of recruitment. I don't remember myself being nervous when I went through, but I was SO nervous this fall and I'm already IN a sorority! I guess it's mostly because I wanted to make sure that every girl in the room had a lot of fun and that they were all comfortable. My favorite night of the week was "skit night." I was one of the performers!! My sisters asked me to dig down deep into my bag of talents and bring out my rap skills. Well, it was very...umm...interesting. Ha ha. Let me just say that I won't be giving up singing for rapping anytime soon!!
I’m so excited about life right now! The abundance of homework – well – not so much. This past week I turned the big twenty-one. The events of the day consisted of eating lunch at one of the premeire restaurants in Nashville,
Stoney River. Personally, this is now one of my most favorite restaurants in Nashville-town. It is rock-awesome! I highly recommend it.
As the day went on, my parents sent me balloons to Lyric Street Records. And to make the day even more exciting – my buddy Nick – and my friends – Jess and Jody, took me out for dinner at Logan’s Roadhouse. They are my second family. Jammin’ to the music of Rascal Flatts with the three of the most rock-awesome people ever could not have been better! I was soaring – soaring with bombastic excitement!!! I mean…if that is not a rock-awesome twenty-first…than I don’t know what is!
I know I say this in every single blog so why break the tradition? Life is absolutely crazy-busy. And why in the world is summer going so fast? Will it ever slow down? This week is definitely one of the busiest weeks yet so far this summer. Tonight – I’m going to hang out with my buddy Greg – and later on – plan to catch up with another buddy of mine at Fido’s – a local coffee shop located right here in the heart of Nashville Town.
The past week or two have been really good for me. It''s probably one of the few times that I can sincerely respond "I'm doing great" when someone asks how I am doing. Why, you may ask? First off, I just found out that I now have an apartment for the school year. Even though it is on the fourth floor, I couldn't care less because that means no more living in the dorm, ever. Oh okay I know that I said that "my dorm is way cooler than the apartments," but that's because I forgot what it was like to have your own space. Don't get me wrong the dorms are pretty cool because there is always folks around to hang out with and go to the cafeteria with you, but nothing gets better than Hillside.
Wow! I cannot believe that it is already the second week of June. The emerging week of classes most definitely came too soon. And by extension – so did CMA Fest. I can most clearly describe this past week as one complete blur. Throughout the week I attended a multitude of artist events, attended classes, and slept very little. Without a doubt, the “backstage” experiences granted me the opportunity to network and create relations with professionals who represent themselves as advocates of the music industry! I most definitely enjoyed myself, the individuals I met, and the hours of tending to crazy Taylor Swift fans at the downtown Nashville Convention Center.
During the school year, I practically live in the Beaman. But towards the end of the semester during finals and this few weeks of summer, I haven't even stepped foot into the workout center. I know that's pretty bad, but can you imagine me trying to play ball after about a month of not playing at all. That's right, you guessed it! I was absolutely terrible, and on top of that I wasn't that good to begin with. The thing that made the whole situation even worse is that I was playing with some complete strangers. But please don't worry... I am big enough to handle myself. 
First and foremost, I would like to simply express that the Lord is so phenomenal. He works in such great ways and I am shown by his miraculous ways each and everyday of my life. He has blessed me with so many great friends, both here in Music City USA as well as back home. Well, summer has definitely begun with a visit from family, a spectacular Memorial Day weekend, and a couple of great nights spent with my friends.
This week has been pretty eventful! I was in Chattanooga for a couple weeks and then came home to Franklin to spend some time with my family, work out, see friends, etc. On Sunday, I was at Green Hills Mall in Nashville in the David Kidd bookstore and who do I see?! Tyler Hilton!! He' a singer/songwriter and he played Chris Keller on "One Tree Hill." He also played my boyfriend on Taylor Swift's video "Teardrops On My Guitar." I hadn't seen him since January when we filmed the video; I didn't expect to see him at the mall!! It was great seeing him again! You can catch him in the upcoming movie "Charlie Bartlett" which will be out this fall.
Here's a picture of Tyler, Taylor, and I at the "Teardrops" video shoot.
This semester is finally coming to a close and I've found myself trying to figure out how to feel about this bittersweet time. These last few months, I have made so many amazing memories and friends that I can honestly say I'll never forget. I never thought the day that I came to Belmont this January that I'd fall in love with the campus and the people that make it such a wonderful place.
It is exactly 1:10a.m. right now! This is exactly what I love about spilling my thoughts and feelings into this journal of some sort. I just returned from working NSAI’s 15th Annual Tin Pan South songwriter’s festival! As a volunteer, I assisted in the process of checking people in and out of 3rd and Lindsley (a premier Nashville venue.) The evening was quite rewarding, due to the fact that I was able to watch the majority of the songwriter rounds.
Originally, I'm from Houston and in Texas extreme cold weather is mid-60s maybe even 50s in a bad year. But on the other hand, in the summer time it can get up to 120 sometimes down in Texas. See, here in Nashville the weather can't make up it's mind. One day is freezing cold and windy, then a couple days later it will be warm enough to wear shorts and flip-flops. I just wish that the spring/summer time would get here already. When it is cold like it is now, the whole mood on campus is different. Things like getting up and walking to class or hanging out with a few friends seem so much better in the warmer weather. Dare I say it, but I kind of miss everybody throwing frisbees and footballs in the quad.
Being in Nashville, it is always possible find something interesting to do. Whether it is a campus activity, a weekly target run, a hockey game, a football game, or a concert downtown, there is always something going on if you look hard enough (and have time for it). About two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to literally fulfill a life dream, and see Josh Turner in concert! My friend Lauren was working with Service Corps (a group of music business majors that helps with local concerts and what-not) and had an extra ticket, so off I went to see Josh Turner. He was amazing, sang all of my favorite songs, and I was in heaven!
As a sophomore, I can already attest to the fact that college does exemplify the most significant moments of an individual's life. In a recent conversation I had with a great friend of mine, I said to him, “I’m stressed. There’s so much homework. So many things to commit myself to. And moreover, the concept that I’m not even sure what is causing this sense of overwhelmingness.” In response, he stated, “Ben..how can you be stressed? You are livin’ the dream.”
Still today, I cannot believe that I am officially enrolled as a student at Belmont University. My passion and commitment for the music business has enabled me to effectively carry out the plans that the Lord God has set forth for my life. Ever since the conversation with my friend, I have learned to embrace the existence of stress in a healthy and successful manner.
Well, if you guys didn't know I am originally from a small town in Texas called Houston. Ha ha. I moved here to Nashville when I was pretty young, so the city has kind of grown on me. Nashville is a pretty big city, but has a small town feel because of the hospitality and it's easy to find your way around. Sometimes just driving around, I discover new things such as easier ways to get to and from campus and even another part of town I never knew about.
I cannot believe that my first semester as a sophomore at Belmont University is already half over! I am settled in, have quite a few amazing friends, and am handling the stress of homework and exams in an effective manner. Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for the ability to be a part of such a wonderful community. Personally, I am finally proud to state that Nashville, Tennessee is my new home town.
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